Connection of respective severed ends of hollow organ structures, for example, connection of severed ends of intestine or colon structures following resection of a portion thereof, to restore bodily functions, has in the past been a tedious, time consuming and difficult procedure. Because of the nature of the material that passes or is contained within some organs, such as the intestines and colon, preventing leakage from the connection (into the abdominal cavity) may be very important. Various types of circular staplers have been adopted relatively recently as an improvement over hand suturing and as a way to quickly connect respective severed ends of intestine or colon structures. Often, however, the surgeon may still be required to take steps to ensure that there are no leaks in the connection following the procedure. One technique has introducing placing dye and/or saline solution under pressure within the connected organ structures proximate to the connection site, to observe whether the connection leaks. If a leak is found, over-sewing the area in which leakage is found is a common remedial step. This may be a tedious and time consuming procedure.
There remains a need for improved devices and techniques for connecting and accomplishing anastomosis of respective hollow organ tissues, that reduce the time required for the procedure, and are effective in preventing leakage.